Discourses on Development

This column, Discourses on Development, was started two years ago in Akademika (No. 68, 2006) with the objective of generating a sustained debate and reflections on the complexities of development, an earth-shaking phenomenon that has so much transformed our lives. The two think-pieces, first by Heng Siam-Heng on Beyond the Ideas of Economic Growth and Academic Development (Akademika, Number 68:95-101) followed by a rejoinder by Lam Peng-Er, Beyond Utopianism and Despair: Indigenous Models of Development? (Akademika Number 68:103-109) published in 2006 have served as useful intellectual starters and caught the attention of a number of readers including those beyond Malaysia. Many readers maybe aware that one of the key thinkers on development is the late Professor Syed Hussein Alatas whose works on corruption, modernization, captive mind, intellectuals and religion in various ways all directly or indirectly deal with various dimensions of development. In this issue of Akademika, we continue with the column Discourses on Development by having two new thought-provoking think-pieces, both of which are dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Syed Hussein Alatas.